Disney Planning - How Far in Advance

its never too early to start looking for someday to get an idea of the places you really what to go, where you want to stay, where you want to eat, etc. The earlier you book the better selection of times you will have for dining reservations if you need to do that. However twice I have booked my disney vacation 6 weeks out. Prime dining times were taken but that just helped us eat off peak so we were never rushed and we saved on food. (Like 4p dinner. Hubby and I would split a lunch so we were not stuffed) And both times I would have been able to eat at Cinderella's Royal table in the castle. Which is wonderful but more of a one time thing for us so we opted out the second time. the plus about booking late is you don't have to wait so long until you go. =0)

We started going when our daughter was 2 and we went about every 2 yrs until she was 14. She is 17 now.

I usually planned about a year in advance and iworked directly with WDW and the airlines. We didn't do meal plans, packages, etc.

We always stayed at the Polynesian and loved it. The last time we went, we were in the Concierge tower and we received a perk to go on a personal safari (10 people) in Animal Kingdom for about $150 each. It was SO worth it and SO much fun.

I did book charactor dinners in advance as well.

Have fun!! We have special memories of our Disney trips!

We took our kids first when they were 2 3/4 and almost 6. The MAGIC in their eyes was amazing and worth every penny we spent. But neither kid really remembers it. We went again when they were 11 and almost 8, and they remember it, and had a good time, but it was a different time, not as magical at all.

The only thing you NEED to reserve way in advance is Cinderella's table and meals like that, so I think that is 4 months out for that. So, 6 months out is plenty of time. They didn't have rates posted that far out when I first planned.

Oh, and do the meal time and stay on property. Totally worth every penny to do those as well.

We started making making the restaurant reservations 9 months out and had to make some changes due to times that we wanted being booked already.

It depends: what time of year will you go, what do you want to do, will you be staying in a hotel, etc.

We went nearly 2 weeks ago, just my son and I. It was kind of a sudden thing (1 week notice?) because I'd promised the boys we'd go this year, and then my husband's back was hurting, and he couldn't ride in the car 5 hours or walk around the park, we were planning his surgery, we decided to wait until he recovered from that....but then we got the news that they were going to do an additional procedure and it would take until end of August to recover (his surgery is tomorrow). I was like "WHAT?" I don't like heat and humidity. I don't like big crowds. I didn't want to take my children on their first trip to Disney and spend most of the time in lines. I just didn't want that for their first experience (that's not "magical" to me, LOL). He starts school end of August, so we decided suddenly to go a week before we did, so we could hurry up and go before school let out (the crowds surge into Disney on school breaks), or before it got too hot. It was just me and my son. I got on orlandovacations.com (I think that was it) and found a great deal (still off season) on a hotel very close for 3 nights. We bought tickets at a discounted price (not the park hoppers---I figured our first time, and my 5 year old son's age, meant we could just take our time and just do one park a day, starting with Magic Kingdom), for 3 days. Instead of a character breakfast we did the Pirates & Pals excursion (a pirates party with treats, cake, all kinds of snacks and drinks, hosted by Captain Hook and Mr Smee, some games, then a ride on a little boat to see an electric light show and then a great view of the castle and watching the fireworks from the water, playing games and singing songs on the boat, and then Peter Pan surprised us when we returned to the dock). All of that combined, about $700. We brought in frozen waters and a frozen gatorade to share, and some fruit (in my backpack). We'd go back to the hotel in the heat of the day and eat sandwiches, celery sticks and hummus, drink lemonade, and have a nap before getting back out there and tackling the park some more, so we didn't pay for anything special except going out to eat in the evenings (I guess add $50 or 60 for 3 evenings of eating out). We didn't do without, we were perfectly fine and happy. It's not "cheap" but we had an excellent time with a week's notice and $760. The key for us was to be prepared, and go off season. I'll take my other son (he's little) in late October or early November for his 3rd birthday, while my older son is in school. The older son is cool with that, understanding that my little guy didn't get to go with us because Daddy wasn't able to come and help....and we had a great time just the 2 of us, and it'll be my little guy's "turn" come fall. He's too little to stay up happily for a Pirates & Pals thing, but we'll do breakfast with Mickey or whatever for him. Just in case, I'll reserve it a month out, for 2 days (not sure about when schools around the country let out for fall break).

If your parents are moving to Florida ask them to come and book under their names. Disney offers all kinds of resident discounts even at some of the hotels. As for the tickets, children under 2 get in for free and residents MUST show proof of living here, drivers license, rental lease etc. Your parents can buy tickets for children under 18 without ID.

We have been going for years before we moved here. My daughter’s first trip was at one year old and she had a blast. (I don't think she remembers that trip). Sign up on the Disney website so you can get email updates with the specials they offer.

Depending on what time of year you come you can make reservations at any time. The slower months are better for first visits and it is easier to make reservations at the restaurants. September thru November (the week before Thanksgiving) is slow, and then the week after Thanksgiving until the week before Christmas is also slow. Most years at Christmas ALL the parks around here will close because they get filled to capacity. January until spring break is also slower.
I would not go in the summer for a first trip, it’s hot and way too busy.

I must be the odd man out. Our Disney trips (we've done one FL and three CA) have been planned pretty much on the fly. Airfare and hotel booked a few months in advance, and one character meal booked about a month out. Of course we NEVER travel during peak season (can't stand the crowds!) so that may have something to do with it :)
And yes, the older they get, the better it is. And DON'T take them separately, it's such an AMAZING family experience, you should all be together!
As much as I loved it when they were little, my absolute favorite trip was our last one, when they were 9, 13 and 15. We did all the big, scary rides together (including Tower of Terror at California Adventure) and we ALL spent the day talking about and reliving our favorite Disney moments, characters, movies, etc. It truly was...magical.

If you were going to stay on site or some other place in Florida, I'd say start planning a year in advance. Are the grandparents going to live in the Orlando area so you can stay there or will they be somewhere else in Florida? You need to have your dates settled at least 6 months in advance so you can call in for Disney Dining reservations. Knowing exactly when we were going and being up to call bright and early at the 6 month mark was key for getting breakfast with Cinderella.

Concerning ages to go, we went when both of our kids were old enough to walk by themselves and ride most of the rides so for us that was 5 and 8 or going into K and 3rd grade. Even then, our 5 year old used a stroller a lot because there is just so much walking and there were lots of rides they were not big enough to go on. My question would be how old your first born is and how much space there is between them. A lot of my friends plan their Disney trips for when a child is going into Kindergarten so maybe that would be a good time to go with your oldest. With the resident tickets perhaps you could go to one of the Disney parks the first time and then plan a larger all the parks vacation at a later date?

I think that depends a lot on WHEN you go. You would have to start planning for the high crowd times like summer and christmas break much earlier than the off peak. We always go in early feb and I have planned it in late fall and started getting dinner reservations in early jan and have never had a problem.
I would get the unofficial guide to disney if I were you. If you get the current one it won't be outdated withing the next couple of years.

Eh, if it's your first trip there, then a year out probably isn't crazy. Just know going into it that an 18 month old isn't going to get much out of it & you'll need to schedule a lot of breaks for naps & such.

We're getting ready to leave in about 9 weeks & I've been planning it since about late February. We're not staying at a Disney hotel, but rather rented a condo. We've also been a couple of times over the last 7 years & our kids are older (11 & almost 13). I did come up with a spreadsheet to show what parks we're doing on each day & includes a rough idea of where we're going to eat as well. A little anal maybe, but we only can afford to do this every 3 or 4 years as a family so I want to ensure we get as much out of it as we can. ;)